European champions with club and country

Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Fernando Torres, Xavi and Andres Iniesta line up for Spain ahead of a friendly against England in February 2009.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The European Cup began life in 1956 and has been played every year since. Rebranded as the Champions League in 1992, it is the most prestigious prize in European club football.

Four years after its inception, a continental competition was created for international teams. The European Nations’ Cup kicked off in 1960 and later became known as the European Championship. It is played every four years.

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Ben Hayward is the Weekend Editor of FourFourTwo. A European football writer and Tottenham Hotspur fan with over 15 years’ experience, he has covered games all over the world – including three World Cups, several Champions League finals, Euros, Copa America – and has spent much of that time in Spain. Ben speaks English and Spanish, currently dividing his time between Barcelona and London, covering all the big talking points of the weekend on FFT: he’s also written several list features and interviewed Guglielmo Vicario for the magazine.